San Antonio pizzeria Il Forno lands spot on a coveted Top 50 list for 4th year in a row

San Antonio pizzeria Il Forno is no stranger to critical praise. Almost immediately after its 2016 launch, the casual, south-of-downtown staple began racking up notices for its wood-fired pies, which feature house-made cured meats along with vegetables purchased from local farms.

The latest laud comes from 50 Top Pizza, a ranking site that uses reviews from dozens of top Italian food and beverage journos to rank standout pies worldwide. Il Forno landed the No. 22 slot on the group’s latest Best Pizza in the U.S.A. list, marking its fourth annual appearance.

No other San Antonio pizzeria made the 2025 list, which is based on factors including pizza quality, service, atmosphere, wait times and beverages. Only one other Texas establishment, 17th-ranked Dallas’ Partenope Ristorante, got a mention.

In its review of Il Forno, 50 Top Pizza praised the elasticity and consistency of the Neapolitan-style dough and chef Jason R. Garcia’s deft hand with both classics such as the Margherita and creative topping combinations.

“We recommend trying the Things Found Underground with potatoes, onions, scallions, leeks, fontina cheese, treated lemon and garlic,” the review says. “[T]he ingredients may seem excessive, but instead find a very unique and very pleasant balance on the palate.”

For those keeping tally of such things, Il Forno ranked No. 32 on 50 Top Pizza’s 2022 list and No. 24 in both 2023 and 2024.

Il Forno, 122 Nogalitos St., also has a second location in the works in the former Tucker’s Kozy Korner, 1338 E. Houston St.

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This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 9, 2025.